The steps of a typical escalator are fastened to two transporting chains, together with which form an endless circulating step-band that at each end of the escalator runs over a pair of transporting-chain wheels, one of the transporting-chain wheel pairs belonging to a drive station, driving and reversing the step-band, the other transporting-chain wheel pair being part of a step-band reversing station. The individual steps of the step-band are each equipped with two front and two back guide rollers by which the steps are guided in defined location-dependent positions mainly by guiding and reversing curves fastened to the supporting construction of the escalator. The steps of the escalator run along a predetermined path that is laterally defined by stationary skirt-panels.
While it is necessary to compensate for spacing tolerances between the skirt-panel and step, a gap must remain, since a step making contact with a skirt-panel would cause considerable friction that would lead to unacceptable heating, as well as to increased drive power and wear to the step and skirt-panel. For this reason, a gap or air-gap must remain between the skirt-panel and step.
Such a gap or air-gap is a safety hazard. Because of the play present on both sides of the step, the width of a gap can become large, so that penetration by an edge of a shoe, a scarf, a high heel, a skirt-hem, or a hand, especially of a child, becomes possible. Consequently, the danger of crushing and other injuries to the passenger is not without possibility.
Injury to persons by the gap between the skirt-panel and the step step-tread area, as well as in the step step-riser area, resulting from the relative motion between the moving steps and the stationary skirt-panel, is a major problem of conventional escalators. Furthermore, if an object that is present on the moving step comes into contact with the stationary skirt-panel, the object can be pulled into the gap by friction, especially when the escalator steps are traveling upward.
Efforts have therefore been made to create a deflecting surface that will prevent penetration into the gap. Various deflectors for the gap between the step and the skirt-panel are to be found in the art.
Patent disclosure WO98/24714, for example, discloses skirt-panel brushes that are installed as deflectors on the skirt-panel but over the steps. These skirt-panel brushes divert straight objects such as, for example a leg, away from the gap between the skirt-panel and the step. In doing so, however, a foot of the leg can be so turned that the toes point in the direction of the gap and the brushes do not prevent their penetration into the gap.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,040 discloses slits that are installed at the side of the step in which brushes are arranged. This solution has the disadvantage that the blocking brushes are located at a certain distance below the surface of the step-tread or step-riser, respectively, with the consequence that objects can become trapped in the gap situated above them. Moreover, as the brushes are in contact with the skirt-panel, they can damage the skirt-panel, and cause noises. It has also proved disadvantageous that, through constant rubbing of the brushes against the skirt-panel, the brushes have a very short life. The forces exerted by the steps damage the structure of the brushes, which then have insufficient form stability.
It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide an escalator, and particularly an escalator step area construction, that does not possess the aforesaid disadvantages and that substantially increases operating safety while being easy to manufacture as well as having a substantially increased service life.